New coach.......new QB? Trade down with the Seahawks. We could take McClain or Thomas. Either player would bring a big upside and by trading we will have another pick, high enough to make an immediate impact. Just the trade we need.

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said Sunday he'll enter the NFL draft, the second member of the Bulldogs' defense to leave school a year early.

The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Curran led the Southeastern Conference with 130 tackles this past season and was named to The Associated Press All-SEC team. He finished his three-year career with 298 tackles.

Curran follows safety Reshad Jones, who announced last week that he's giving up his final year to enter the draft.

"This has been a really difficult decision," said Curran, a native of suburban Atlanta. "I love the Bulldogs and my time at Georgia has been great. But weighing all the factors over the last couple of weeks, I finally reached the decision Saturday that entering the NFL draft this year is the right decision for me at this time."

He was the first Georgia defender to have back-to-back seasons with at least 100 tackles since Greg Bright in 1996-97. Curran had a career-high 16 stops against LSU and tallied 15 tackles in an upset of then-No. 7 Georgia Tech.

"Rennie has been a cornerstone of our defense over the last couple years and even as a freshman, made tremendous contributions," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "I think our team's fondness for Rennie was demonstrated by his election by his teammates as one of our permanent defensive captains for 2009. He will be sorely missed not only on the field but in the locker room and at the university. We certainly wish him the very best."

Curran appeared in 37 games for the Bulldogs, including 30 starts. He's projected as a mid-round draft pick, possibly going as high as late in the second.

Florida center Maurkice Pouncey said Monday he will enter the NFL draft, but added his twin brother Mike plans to stay in school, possibly taking over his position, ESPN college football reporter Joe Schad reported.

Maurkice Pouncey is rated as the No. 2 junior prospect at center by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. Mike Pouncey plays guard for the Gators and is rated the No. 3 junior at that position by Kiper.

The Pouncey twins had previously said they would likely stay or leave Florida together.

I should add that underclassmen have until Friday afternoon to declare for the draft, so there should be plenty more announcements over the next few days.

ATLANTA -- Atlantic Coast Conference champion Georgia Tech is losing three more stars to the NFL.

All-America defensive end Derrick Morgan, running back Jonathan Dwyer and safety Morgan Burnett held a joint campus news conference Monday to announce they'll enter the NFL draft with a year of college eligibility remaining.

They followed the course set by Georgia Tech's leading receiver, Demaryius Thomas, who said last week that he'll be entering the draft rather than returning to the Yellow Jackets for his senior season.

The exodus of top players follows Georgia Tech's first outright ACC title since 1990 and a trip to the Orange Bowl.

Dwyer was the team's leading rusher with 1,395 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain, the centerpiece of the Crimson Tide's national championship defense, announced Monday that he was skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

McClain won the Butkus Award this season as the top linebacker in college football and led the Crimson Tide in tackles. He was a three-year starter and has been calling the defensive signals since he was a freshman.

Alabama coach Nick Saban has called McClain one of the smartest players he's ever coached.

"I'm going to leave the university pretty satisfied with what I've done here," McClain said.

Most projections have McClain going in the top half of the first round.

Hawkeye CB latest to enter draft ... Iowa junior CB Amari Spievey has announced that he will pass up his senior season with the Hawkeyes and enter the 2010 draft. Spievey is considered to be a second or third round prospect.

SEC safety to enter draft .. LSU junior safety Chad Jones has sent out a news release indicating he will enter the 2010 draft. Jones was an All-Sec DB and figures to be an early round pick at the upcoming draft.

It looks like practically all of the top underclassmen have made their decisions known now. Greg Romeus is the only one I'm waiting word on, but I could be forgetting about a player or two.

There are more, but many of the other don't figure to be taken in the first four rounds or so. Plus, you always seem to get a couple who announced they are staying in school, but change their minds at the last minute and enter the draft.

January 12th, 2010, 12:34 pm

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

Quote:

Florida’s Wright leaves school for NFL draft2 hours, 14 minutes agoBuzz up!PrintGAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP)—Safety Major Wright is the latest Florida player to leave school early and enter the NFL draft.

Wright made his announcement Tuesday, becoming the fifth junior to leave the Gators in the last two weeks. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap, cornerback Joe Haden, tight end Aaron Hernandez and center Maurkice Pouncey already declared their intentions to turn pro.

Wright finished his career with 165 tackles, 10 passes defended, eight interceptions, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 41 games. He had 32 tackles and three interceptions last season.

The 6-foot, 204-pounder from Miramar is considered a middle- to late-round pick in April’s NFL draft. Fellow safety Ahmad Black could follow Wright and his teammates to the NFL.

M2K, by top underclassmen, I meant potential 1st round picks, not possible 3rd or 4th round selections. There are literally dozens of Juniors that would fit that description.

Out of the ones you named, I think WR Mike Williams declared after he quit the Syracuse program, but I don't know if he made an official announcement. DT Allen Bailey said that he was going back to Miami, but I suppose he could change his mind. DE/OLB Von Miller is waiting to see what happens with the Texas A&M coaching staff before making a final decision, but I suspect he'll leave. I have no idea about the others.

M2K, by top underclassmen, I meant potential 1st round picks, not possible 3rd or 4th round selections. There are literally dozens of Juniors that would fit that description.

Out of the ones you named, I think WR Mike Williams declared after he quit the Syracuse program, but I don't know if he made an official announcement. DT Allen Bailey said that he was going back to Miami, but I suppose he could change his mind. DE/OLB Von Miller is waiting to see what happens with the Texas A&M coaching staff before making a final decision, but I suspect he'll leave. I have no idea about the others.

Aha, I also misunderstood you.

Something about a WR quitter named Mike Williams has ring of familiarity to it...

_________________Proud member of the Contract Extension for Schwartz Fan Club.

[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Daniel GluskoterHarvey Unga has scored 44 touchdowns over the past three seasons.That’s the question the BYU media is debating today as the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune have published conflicting reports about Unga’s future with the Cougars.

The Deseret News reported that Unga was staying and quoted Unga’s father, Jackson."This is a decision he made on his own after gathering as much information as he could," Jackson Unga told the Deseret News. "He believes he should return, get his degree, put all he can into his senior season in extending his record and helping the football team achieve its goals. He loves BYU and his coaching staff and believes it is in his best interest to take this path at this time in his career."

About an hour later, Salt Lake Tribune writer Jay Drew wrote on his blog that he had texted Unga and that the decision was still up in the air.“I am not sure yet,” Unga told Drew. “I’ll most likely meet with coach when he gets back and talk to him.”

Unga staying would be a big boost to a BYU offense that is losing several key starters this season, including quarterback Max Hall and top tight end Dennis Pitta. However, Unga has struggled with injuries throughout his career and he might not want to chance his draft potential. Unga has the talent to play in the NFL, but his durability has been questionable.

Unga rushed for 1,087 yards and 11 touchdowns this season -- his third consecutive 1,000-yard season -- despite missing the season opener and playing sparingly in three games this season.

Unga did note that he wanted to finish school and that might be enough of a reason to stay one more year

Pittsburgh defensive end Greg Romeus said Wednesday he will pass on the NFL draft to stay in school.

"I want to gain another year of experience and have another shot at the Big East title," Romeus told ESPN's Joe Schad.

The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Romeus was considered a potential first-round pick as a junior. He had 135 tackles and an interception in Pitt's 10-3 season, which culminated in a victory over North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Damn. He was one of the guys I was hoping the Lions would get in the 2nd round.